1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lock cylinder, and, more particularly, to a rekeyable lock cylinder having rotatable key followers to facilitate the rekeying of the lock cylinder.
2. Description of the Related Art
When rekeying a cylinder using a traditional cylinder design, the user is required to remove the cylinder plug from the cylinder body and replace the appropriate pins so that a new key can be used to unlock the cylinder. This typically requires the user to remove the cylinder mechanism from the lockset and then disassemble the cylinder to some degree to remove the plug and replace the pins. This requires a working knowledge of the lockset and cylinder mechanism and is usually only performed by locksmiths or trained professionals. Additionally, the process usually employs special tools and requires the user to have access to pinning kits to interchange pins and replace components that can get lost or damaged in the rekeying process. Finally, professionals using appropriate tools can easily pick traditional cylinders.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,860,131, there is disclosed an embodiment of a rekeyable lock cylinder that includes a cylinder body with a plug body and carrier sub-assembly disposed therein. The plug body includes a plurality of spring-loaded pins and the carrier assembly includes a plurality of racks for engaging the plurality of spring-loaded pins to operate the lock cylinder. A tool is inserted into a tool-receiving aperture on the plug body face to engage the rack carrier and move the rack carrier in a longitudinal direction from an operating position to a rekeying position to disengage the plurality of racks from the plurality of spring-loaded pins to achieve the rekeying position. In the rekeying position, a second key can replace the first valid key. The second key is inserted into the keyway of the plug body, and then the tool is released to cause the rack carrier to return to the operating position to cause the plurality of racks to reengage the plurality of spring-loaded pins to complete the rekeying process.